Restoring the whole of creation lies at the very heart of God’s mission in our world and this will include the salvation and restoration of humanity. Our part of that mission is not only to extend the boundaries of the Kingdom through such work as evangelism and social action, but also just by living out the redeemed life we now have. And a central aspect of that is to express the creative side of ourselves. Some are more creative than others, I guess, but we all have creativity within us for it is part of God’s image in us.

It’s exciting, therefore, when believers work this out practically in their lives. Two friends of mine are doing just that at the moment and I’d like to share some of what they’re doing here.

Chloe Leavers has been brought up in the Colwyn Bay area of north Wales and is a singer song writer. I can’t claim to be a music critic but it seems to me that she has a unique quality to her voice that makes her stand out from the ordinary. She has just this week launched her Facebook Fan page with a couple of her tracks on it. Listen once and you’ll want to listen again.

If you’d like to hear her live then maybe you should go to the Ymuno Festival to be a held in the Conwy valley this summer. It’s being organised by another friend, Ash Gilbert. This music event will feature some great artists and will be a great occasion. Ash is another person with a musical side to him, but is also very creative when it comes to the design of websites. The festival will be an opportunity to not only enjoy great music but also to do community – another essential aspect of God’s image in us.

What Chloe and Ash are doing lie at the very heart of what it is to live the restored life. It isn’t all about doing church events and meetings. It is about being who God made us to be.